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Vulcaan
“Lord Condor" “King of the Birds” Symbol: Large gray condor, with wings wrapped around it’s body, with piercing red eyes Home Plane: The High Gliding Skies (Elemental Plane of Air) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Portfolio: Avarians, Birds, Flight Domains: Air, Animal, Sky, Storm Worshippers: Avarians, Intelligent Birds/Flying Creatures Alias: N/A Cleric Alignments: CN, CG, NG Favored Weapon: Feather (Throwing Dagger) History/Relationships Vulcaan is one of the many sky deities who exist in the multiverse. Many believe that Vulcaan was created by the same power that created Jazirian, the deity of Couatl,, Remnis, the deity of Eagles, Koriel, the deity of Ki-rin, Quorlinn, the deity of Kenku, and Syranita, the deity of Aarakocra. Vulcaan is an interloper deity, though his first home is unknown. When Vulcaan first arrived in this crystal sphere, he was weak and starving for worshippers to sustain him. Vulcaan quickly sought out the Avariel of Aereigh’ree. Recent events caused the Elves to forsake their deity, Aerdrie Faenya, and their own Elven nature. Appearing in the form of a great condor, Vulcaan proposed to transform the Avariel into creatures that were no longer Elven, and to protect them from the perils of the outside world, so long as they agreed to pay him homage. After much discussion and debate, the Avariel of Aereigh’ree agreed. Vulcaan used his godly powers to transform the Avariel into Avarians, and gained a steady worship base. This greatly increased his power, and allowed Vulcaan to fully transfer all of his power into the crystal sphere. Vulcaan’s next act was to place magical wards around Aereigh’ree to mask the city from enemies as long as the Avarians held true to their promise. This, of course, caused Vulcaan to gain the enmity of Aerdrie Faenya, the Elven Goddess. She would have completely decimated Vulcaan had it not been for the intervention of Jazirian, Remnis and Syranita, fellow deities of avian peoples. Aerdrie Faenya has not forgotten the betrayal of her former people, or the power that forever took them away from her. Because Vulcaan- as well as other deities- is dependent upon Akadi, the King of the Birds considers himself a sort of “vassal” of the Elemental Lord. Vulcaan knows to keep on Akadi’s good side, especially since his own domain lies in the Elemtnal Plane of Air. Though Jazarian, the deity of the Couatl, does not particularly approve of Vulcaan’s methods in the past, he does recognize that Vulcaan does provide to his people many of the things that Jazarian himself embodies- peace, learning, community and parenthood. So long as Vulcaan does not change, he can count on Jazarian supporting him in most cases. But, if he ever changed, Vulcaan would not have the support of the Couatl deity. Remnis, the Eagle deity, maintains a very shaky alliance with Vulcaan. Many legends say that the two are rookery-mates, meaning that they were both born to the same power that hatched Vulcaan and who hatched Remnis. The two deities do share some common interests- sky and birds- but not enough to forge an alliance, as the two do have. Quorlinn, the deity of the Kenku, admires Vulcaan. Quorlinn, who embodies trickery and thievery, sees Vulcaan’s actions with the residents of Aereigh’ree as a grand heist, though Vulcaan did not intend it that way. Vulcaan sees Quorlinn’s admiration for him a bit annoying, but the deity has begun to understand that having Quorlinn as an ally may prove useful in the future. Though Vulcaan does not particularly hold any malice towards Grumbar, just the idea of what Grumbar stands for and represents is an affront to Lord Condor. Grumbar is also an enemy of Akadi, who is an ally of Vulcaan- perhaps his most powerful ally. Syranita, the deity of Aarakocra, has the potential to be an ally of Vulcaan. But, Syranita is under the sway of Aerdrie Faenya, who has a keen interest in the Aarakocra deity. Because of Faenta’s enmity towards Vulcaan, Syranita also shares some hostility towards Lord Condor. Dogma Never forget the blessings Vulcaan has imparted upon you. Fly free, uninhibited by the encumbrances of land, unafraid of the perils of the world. Avatar/Manifestations Vulcaan’s main avatar is that of a massive condor, with gold feathers, or golden-brown feathers. The size of the avatar varies from anywhere between twenty feet to fifty feet. When it speaks, it speaks in a booming voice that shakes mountains. Vulcaan’s most common manifestation is that of a breeze, or gust of wind that brings with it a handful of bird feathers. Oftentimes accompanying this manifestation, or entirely separately, the deity sometimes manifests as the screech of a bird, which seems to originate from nowhere in particular. Vulcaan demonstrates his favor by having flocks of birds fly by those in his favor at opportune times. He also demonstrates his favor by having individuals find piles of seeds in places that such piles would not naturally occur. He demonstrates his displeasure by causing wind gusts that are violent enough to make flying difficult. Agents/Petitioners Vulcaan is served by Air Elementals, Arrowhawk, Avarians, birds of all kinds, Cockatrice, Giant Eagles, Giant Condors, Griffon, and Rocs. The Church of Vulcaan The church of Vulcaan is a strong theocracy, based out of the Great Temple of Vulcaan in Aereigh’ree. The priests of Vulcaan are known as ‘Winged-Brothers’, and the priestesses of Vulcaan are known as ‘Winged-Sisters’. The clergy is slightly male dominated, with a little over half of the church being made up of males (65%), with the rest of it being made of females (35%). The clergy is almost exclusively made up of Avarians (95%), while those few that aren’t Avarians are typically avian races of all kinds. Major Centers of Worship Vulcaan is not worshipped outside of Aereigh’ree, except by a scattered few intelligent birds, or avian people unhappy with their own deity. Because of this, Vulcaan’s only temple on this crystal sphere is in Aereigh’ree. The Great Temple of Vulcaan sits where the Great Temple of Aerdrie Faenya once stood- on the tallest mountaintop in Aereigh’ree. The Great Temple of Vulcaan was formerly a temple of Aerdrie Faenya, so the architecture and design of the temple is very much in line with the tenets of her faith. The walls are made partially of glassteel, arcane cantrips fill the hall with ambient sounds of birdcalls and breezes, and feathers of various colors and types flutter about on their own accord. Since Vulcaan has taken residence in the temple, the main difference is that a large statue of Vulcaan- a large condor with it’s wings wrapped around itself- now sits prominently in the main hall of the temple, where a statue of Aerdrie Faenya once stood. Of course, the building was deconsecrated before Vulcaan and his clergy took over the structure, consecrating it to him. Day-to-Day Activities The clergy of Vulcaan is very active in the day-to-day affairs of Aereigh’ree. Most importantly, every morning, as the sun rises, the priests and priestess’ renew the magical wards that shroud the Avarian city. These magical protections were bestowed upon the city by Vulcaan himself, and cloak the mountain top city in invisibility, and cause any scrying attempts upon the city, or any of it’s inhabitants, to fail. Another of the clergy’s most important tasks is to protect the unhatched young. All Avarian women lay their eggs at the Great Temple of Vulcaan, where the priests and priestess’ care for the eggs, and coax them to hatch. And, besides for these specific duties, the clergy of Vulcaan is the main source of healing and guidance in the city. Holy Days/Important Ceremonies Every year, the clerics of Vulcaan celebrate two very important ceremonies with the Avarians of Aereigh’ree. The first of the two ceremonies is called The Transformation. The second ceremony is called The First Flight. The Transformation is celebrated shortly after midnight on the first night of the year. The ritual is symbolic of when Vulcaan first came to the people of Aereigh’ree, and transformed them into the Avarians. Shortly after the New Year begins, the people of Aereigh’ree gather outside of the Great Temple of Vulcaan. The clerics of Vulcaan recite stories about how Vulcaan saved their people. Shortly after, a great feast takes place, lasting well into the night. Manipulating the power of the wards around the city, the clerics create beautiful displays of light. All indulge in good food, exceptional drink, enjoyable entertainment- in short, everyone has a good time. The First Flight is a coming of age ceremony that takes place every year. During this ceremony, every child Avarian, born in the clutch from five years before takes his or her first flight. The parents of the children taking their first flight gather at the Great Temple of Vulcaan, where the priests and priestess’ bless the young Avarians, and then cast them from the mountaintop. Nearly all of the children are able to control their fall, and then fly back to the temple. Every so often, a child is unable to do this. Before they fall too far, the priest or priestess conducting the ceremony swoops down to rescue the child. This child is not punished- he/she is simply brought back to his/her parents, and will be expected to take the ceremonial first flight the next year- even if the child learns how to fly in the time between. Affiliated Orders Within the church of Vulcaan, there are not any specific factions, because of its small size. All priests and priestess’ of Vulcaan are trained to perform all of the same duties. Priestly Vestments The priests and priestess’ of Vulcaan wear different colored robes, depending on their rank and station. The newest acolytes wear robes of pure white, and as the cleric advances in ranking, they are awarded new, bluer robes. The highest-ranking priests and priestess’ of Vulcaan’s church wear dark blue robes. Though similar to the clergy of Aerdrie Faenya, the clergy of Vulcaan insists that their hierarchy of rankings is separate. Adventuring Garb Clerics of Vulcaan rarely leave Aereigh’ree to go adventuring. But, when they do, they shun armor, which most Avarians find too constricting and constraining. Instead, magical spells are employed to increase their natural defenses. Clerics of Vulcaan employ ranged weapons while in combat, so they can maximize their ability to fly.